Best way to lather small soap samples?

[cxg231]

My apologies if this has been covered before, I attempted a search to no avail.

Being a new DE shaver, I bought a variety of soap samples to try. But I cannot figure out the best way to lather them as they are too small to just attack them with my brush and load up.

Rub the sample on my face and face lather? Shave off thin slivers of the soap into my bowl and mash 'em with my brush to load them on there?

Thoughts would be appreciated.

[heybatter]

In a small glass dish(Pyrex,etc) or even some of the smaller disposable plastic tupperware containers, but you can also reuse that glass dish for more samples. Or reuse it to grind down shave sticks, which some folks like to do. Grate it in there and pack it down. Voila!

Alternatively, you could also rub it on your face as you already pointed out. Thin slivers in your bowl would surely work as well.

[elsmooth]

Wet the sample a little bit and really mash it down into the aforementioned Pyrex dish, trying to get the piece to spread out a little bit. When it dries, it may stick a little better to the bottom of the bowl, making it easier to lather.

[AABCDS]

Garry of Garry's Sample Shop has a video of how to lather his samples.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78SdxF94Tis

[RichGem]

I usually go with stick-type usage. We your face and your brush. Rub soap sample all over your beard. Build lather directly on your face with the wet (lightly shake out excess water first) brush.

[cxg231]

Thanks everybody! I think I'll try the shavings in a bowl and if that doesn't work go for the stick-type usage.

[Arcadies]

I use little 3"/75mm diameter plastic ramekin from the dollar store, like 6 ramekin for a buck. They're beyond cheap and crack after a dozen uses, but they're perfect for sample shavings, just mash your shavings into one to form a thin puck and go to town loading up your brush, when the soap is gone toss the whole thing.

[Zot!]

If they are slivers from Mama Bear, they are glycerin-based and can be melted in the microwave in a small pyrex bowl. 10 seconds at 30 percent power.

[bkfist]

I usually go with stick-type usage. We your face and your brush. Rub soap sample all over your beard. Build lather directly on your face with the wet (lightly shake out excess water first) brush.

This is also my favorite method... Even with grated stuff, like from Garry's Sample Shop, you can just squeeze the "flakes" into a ball and they will for a nice hard lump that you can use like a shave stick. The other advantage of doing this is that it reduces the surface area, and preserves the scent of the soap. Another advantage is you can have a dozen or more samples in "rotation" without a dozen or more bowls. Just drop the ball of soap back in the plastic baggie with the label of the soap, and you'll know exactly what's in there, and it will be ready to go the next time.

[cxg231]

Thanks guys! Lots of great ideas here. My samples in question are in fact Mama Bear soaps, I'm going to try the microwave trick next time! This morning i shaved the sample into shavings and mashed those into the bottom of a small bowl. Worked pretty well, decent lather, but I definitely need to work some on my technique.

[Arcadies]

Thanks guys! Lots of great ideas here. My samples in question are in fact Mama Bear soaps, I'm going to try the microwave trick next time! This morning i shaved the sample into shavings and mashed those into the bottom of a small bowl. Worked pretty well, decent lather, but I definitely need to work some on my technique.

Just be sure to take Zot!'s recommendation and only nuke in short bursts at low setting, if you go too hot/long it can destroy the scent.

[cxg231]

Just be sure to take Zot!'s recommendation and only nuke in short bursts at low setting, if you go too hot/long it can destroy the scent.

Thanks Zot!, the microwave trick worked really really well! Though I might need to take the microwave down a notch next time, as Arcadies' said, I think I lost a lot of the "flavour" of the soap...